Major hail damage and flooded vehicles for sale in the state will be branded as such if Gov. Phil Bryant signs a bill passed Tuesday.

The House passed Senate Bill 2277 and is now on the way to the governor. It will prevent a clear title to such salvage vehicles. A person would only be able to get what would be called a branded title.

Mississippi and Kentucky are the only two states without branded title law for salvage vehicles, said Rep. Robert Johnson, who handled the bill on the House floor.

Johnson, D-Natchez, said the bill is good for consumers because it would allow them to know that a vehicle had once had major hail damage or been in a flood.

The bill requires a branded title for salvaged vehicles to alert potential buyers that the vehicles have been in a flood or received other types of major damage.

"We want to make sure buyers know about problems before they buy," said Sen. Finance Chairman Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall.

The bill says the Department of Revenue shall establish the requirements for a salvage certificate of title.

The bill says before a branded title may be issued for a vehicle for which a salvage certificate of title has been issued, the applicant would have to submit, by hand delivery or mail, such documents and information to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. That could require that an applicant brings a vehicle for a branded title to a Highway Patrol facility for a visual inspection.

Fillingane said he believes it is unethical for damaged vehicles to be sold without knowledge of the buyer that they have been in a flood.

Fillingane said when it comes to flooded vehicles it may not be known for months that they have been in a flood unless a vehicle is taken to a mechanic. He said it could be months before the vehicle begins to rust from the saltwater of the flood waters.